What are sick notes?
If you’re unwell and can’t work for long periods of time, or need to provide proof of illness to an organisation, the GP can help. Medical reports or certificates are often called ‘sick notes’. The more formal word is a ‘MED3’s’, and they are also known as ‘fit notes’. Confused?
How do you request a sick note?
Less than 7 days
If you have been off work for less than 7 days, you can ‘self certificate’. You can complete this form if you have been off work for more than 3 consequetive days Your employer has a legal duty to accept this as proof illness. Sometimes employers ask for a ‘private medical certificate’ for the first 7 days. I am afraid due to high clinical demand and the fact that you can self certify we do not currently have capacity to do this at present.
More than 7 days
If you have been off work for more than 7 days. If you’re not feeling well, we will do all we can to quickly get what you need. Just give us a call between 8-10 and choose option 3. You will get through straight to the GP who will check your records and either be able to write a medical certificate or offer you an appointment to come in.
Questions
The GP will ask for the name of the organisation you’re working for, how long you may need off, and why. Basically we need to ensure you’re off work for the appropriate amount of time, and that we can get you back fit and well. You may consider if you can return to work with amended duties, hours or with adjustments to your work.
We may be able to send you a patient summary, or you can access it online. If you would like to have online access, do get in touch. Or we can send across your full medical history, with your consent (we normally do this with insurance forms). All of this is free.
We have many requests for sick notes and so plenty of ways for you to request one. You can also request it online, but may involve asking more questions – so is probably easier to call.
Proof of registration
You may need of a letter to prove your registration with us, and we’re happy to provide this. We may first offer a patient summary to prove your address. However, if this doesn’t suit you, we can offer a letter to state your proof of registration. There is a charge of £20 for this letter.
Driving medicals
There are medical reports that do have a charge for such as Transport for London (TFL) and lorry license forms. This is because they include a full face-to-face consultation, and the GP may have to go through your whole medical history. It is best to get the eye test section of this done by an optician. We’re finding that TFL increasingly return reports if you were born abroad, as we do not have your full medical records. Don’t worry about this. Call us at any time. Choose option 5 and we will send you a link and get that new form signed and back to you.
Other reports
Unfortunately, there are some reports that we are struggling to do due to high clinical demand. For housing letters as you can share your housing conditions with the council and have your medical records. The council has it’s own medical advisors. We do not sign passport photos or any identification documents, but these can be done by most solicitors offices or teachers.
Finally, if you have any queries about a report you need, get in touch with us and we would be happy to advise you on what to do.